Mother electrocuted!

Agatha Emmanuel is in surprisingly good spirits. She receives and greets well wishers with a warmth that belies her inner pain. On Thursday morning she experienced every parent’s worst nightmare when she lost one of her six children. Tracey Lawrence was only 23 years old. She died following an electrical accident at her home on Hospital Road, in Dennery. She had just returned from dropping off her 2-year-old daughter Amina at school. Lawrence had then decided to do a bit of laundry, using a washing machine adjacent to her house.

On Friday her mother recalled hearing Tracy cry out: “I was watching TV. I went out to check and I saw her stooped down on the ground.” Initially she thought Tracy had taken ill. It wasn’t until she reached out to assist her daughter that her worst fear was realized.

“I felt a vibration and I said, ‘Oh my God! Tracey is getting shocked.’ ” Panicked, Emmanuel still had the presence of mind to turn off the main power supply. An unconscious Tracy was rushed to Richfond Health Center. All efforts to revive her proved futile.

Representatives from St Lucia Electricity Services Limited have already visited the area, trying to source the root of the problem perchance to prevent another similar tragedy.

It is quite obvious that Agatha is still trying to come to terms with her daughter’s death. She was eager to talk about her, many times referring to her as if she were still alive.

“She is very outspoken. Whatever she has to tell you, she will just say it boldfaced. Rude, I would say,” she laughed. “She was a good girl.” Agatha described
Tracy as a popular
young woman who was
jovial and helpful, often serving as the neighborhood beautician. But her focal point was always her baby girl. Tracy doted on her.

“She was a good mother,” said Agatha. “She really cared for Amina.” At just two years old Amina is too young to understand her mother has left her forever.

Support has been pouring out from the community since the news broke, with Tracy’s many friends and clients visiting the family to pay
their respects. Meanwhile, Agatha is preparing to say a final goodbye to her daughter as plans get underway for her burial. She knows the road ahead will be tough.

“We will always miss her,” she says, “especially her sisters. She was right here with me. I will always miss her.”